EDISON -- A group of Edison residents lobbied the township council Wednesday, calling for an independent investigation of a police officer accused of using a racial slur and refusing to help rescue Indian-Americans from a burning car last year.

Amarinder Cheema and Karan Bhandri, both 24-year-old Rutgers graduate students, died in the July wreck. Edison police officer Joseph Kenney dragged the driver, Kapil Goel, from the burning vehicle. Goel is awaiting trial on charges of aggravated manslaughter in what police call a drunken-driving accident.

Kenney claimed Sgt. Alex Glinsky stood by as he rescued the driver. Kenney said Glinsky refused to help because "there's dirty (expletive) Indians in the car, and I'm not going in there."

The township charged Kenney with insubordination, claiming he confronted Glinsky the next day and berated him in front of other officers, violating department policy.

But at a disciplinary hearing last week, Edison Police Director Brian Collier threw out the case against Kenney because the complaint was not filed within the proper time window.

Still, about a dozen Edison residents -- including members of the Edison Democratic Committee -- protested Wednesday, calling the incident "disgusting."

"I've come to realize there are only certain members of the Edison Police Department who are rogue," Sam Joshi, 19, told the council. "But I don't see how a police officer can stand by and let two Indian people die because of their race."

Collier, who attended Wednesday's meeting, said "the incident was fully investigated" by the department's internal affairs unit.

"There was no proof it happened," Collier said, "that those vulgarities were uttered. There is no room in the Edison Police Department for any such talk."

Glinsky has not returned messages or calls seeking comment.

But the protesters called for Glinsky to be fired and asked that an outside agency -- possibly the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office -- investigate the matter again.

"I don't care if it's the FBI," Joshi said. "If you live in Edison, I don't want you involved in this."

Collier dismissed the request.

"You do not know what you are talking about," Collier told Joshi. "You do not know the facts. I am the one who dismissed the charges against officer Kenney. What you are stating here are opinions. I don't have anything to say to your opinions."

Collier said today he does not think the issue merits another investigation.

"I certainly will keep an open mind," he said. "There's nothing to hide, one way or another."

Council vice president Wayne Massaro said he doesn't know whether the council will push for an outside investigation.

"We don't know if we have the legal right," he said. "Internal affairs took care of it."